Texas man gets prison sentence for selling pirated software

Texas man gets prison sentence for selling pirated software
A Texas man has been given an 18 month prison sentence for selling counterfeit copies of popular software applications through various websites on the Internet.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencing of Todd Alan Cook (24), of Wichita Falls, Texas, as well as a $599,771 restitution payment ordered by the Judge. Cook had pleaded guilty of criminal copyright infringement in March.



Between July 2006 and May 2008, Cook, along with his father Robert and another individual operated several websites hosted by Yahoo. They sold large amounts of counterfeit software from the sites, much of it being from Adobe Systems.

The sites they operated included Econo-soft.com and Bargainsoftwaredownload.com, and they used PayPal and Google Checkout to process payments. Federal agents bought software from Cooks' website during 2007. Yahoo had also sent a cease and desist order demanding that the sale of counterfeit software cease.

Despite the warning, a new website was reportedly set up within days. Robert Cook also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement in March, and will be sentenced on December 3rd.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 29 Oct 2010 22:07
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  • 2 comments
  • davidike

    depending on exactly how much pirated software was shipped should the punitive measures have been decided upon. do they even know how much was shipped or how much money was made?

    Quote:much of it being from Adobe Systems lol that stuff sucks, who'd want it in the first place!

    "The public domain is a dicgrace to the forces of evil"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

    30.10.2010 05:32 #1

  • Mez

    They don't care how much he made. I bet the fine was more than 100 times what he made and the judge knew it at the time the fine was levied. As if they are every going to get that money.

    3.11.2010 13:33 #2

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